Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26 18While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. . . . 23And when Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd, 24he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they were laughing at him. 25But after the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26And the report of this went through all that region.
The next two stories are combined into one and further illustrate how people put their faith in Jesus. The first story comes in two parts, which are interrupted with the second story. These stories begin a series of accounts about Jesus’ healing ministry that leads to the call for workers in the great harvest field of need. They illustrate Jesus’ compassion mentioned in verse 36.
A ruler, a person of high position and responsibility, had a daughter who had died. He showed great faith to think that Jesus could do something about the situation and even raise her from the dead. This is the first time this level of power is mentioned in Matthew’s Gospel. The ruler must have seen God at work in Jesus because only God is the giver of life. The story hints at and gives a glimpse into the start of a funeral procession with the flute players and gathering of mourners. This ruler was a man of position and well known among the people, and so the death of his daughter would create quite a stir.
Jesus’ response about the girl only sleeping raises some questions. Should we take this statement literally, that the girl was perhaps in a deep sleep? The people’s response of laughter suggests that the girl was indeed dead, and everyone knew it. Or, is sleeping an idiomatic reference to death, like we read about in other passages of the Bible (1 Corinthians 11:13; 15:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 15; 5:6)? Or, was Jesus giving this response so that people would not misunderstand who he was and force him to become king? Faith in the Messiah needed to come from the heart with repentance to match this faith, not through coercion or hunger for power or political peace.
Again, the touch of Jesus brought complete restoration. A miracle like this is rare in history, even in the Bible. Of course, word would spread because of this. Jesus took the time and effort to go to this man’s home and raise his dead daughter back to life. Jesus comes to each of us offering the same touch of healing, from our dead spiritual states to new life in him.
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